Indholdsfortegnelse for February 2000 i MotorTrend

Okay, I know this issue’s cover date is February 2000. But magazine lead times being what they are, the February issue actually goes on sale in the final moments of 1999. So, today truly is the last time in the 20th century I can do this. The impetus for this month’s column came from a recent appearance I made on an A&E TV network special: “Top 10 Cars That Changed the Automobile Industry.” Td helped them compile the list, which included the Model T Ford, VW Beetle, and Duesenberg, and it got me thinking about the 10 cars that most changed my life. I mean, cars I actually drove that influenced me greatly—not dream cars, not ones I’d seen in a museum, nor even those I merely rode in, but…

This simple statement became the inspiration for the first annual Motor Trend Automobiles for the New Millennium: Design Contest. The contest was first announced last summer, and the initial 1000-plus inquiries yielded more than 300 submissions in five different categories: Design Student, Amateur Under 16, Amateur 16-24, Amateur 24-plus, and Professional. MT recently celebrated 50 years looking back, so we felt the contest was an ideal reason to look forward. Thus the theme of this year’s event was “Vehicle Design for the Year 2050.” Finalists were judged by the Motor Press Guild Design Forum Panel, which included design staff members from BMW, Cadillac, DaimlerChrysler, Ford, Honda, Mazda, and several noted independents. And the results were inspiring, particularly from the senior-most amateur classes and design students, as this generation will become…

When we first tested the new TT last May, it looked like Audi had played its best sports-car hand. However, after spending a few days behind the wheel of the TT Roadster in sunny central Italy, we’d say Audi saved the best for last and just laid down a royal flush. Our previous test car was a front-drive TT Coupe with the 1.8-liter/180-horsepower engine backed by a five-speed manual. It’s a satisfying package, but not nearly as much fun as this Roadster fitted with the 225-horsepower version of the same 1.8-liter DOHC four-cylinder and Quattro all-wheel-drive setup. Throw in the super-smooth-shifting six-speed manual transmission, and you’ve got a convertible that’s bound to give the other cars in this section a run for the “best roadster” title. For the record, both…

Is there an icon more American than a Corvette convertible? Okay, we have baseball—the actual game, not the video simulation. We can’t forget Elvis—Presley, uh, not Costello. Unknown to many, the “Corvette” moniker was first used by the British Navy who so named its speedy, well-armed convoy escort ship in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. For its part, however, the Chevrolet Corvette has been part of American collective culture since 1953 and over its 47-year production has fortunately resisted fundamental changes that might have diluted the formula that now makes it what it is—unlike some other American neo-classic automobiles (e.g., Chevy Impala, Chrysler 300, and Mercury Cougar). The two-seater Corvette is and has been defined by a high-output V-8 (since 55, anyway) placed ahead of the driver in…

Pontiac will gauge your response at auto shows: ls it a real GT0? There’s the letter of the law. And then, there’s the spirit of the law. Pontiac law states that the letters GTO mean a light, affordable, rear-drive coupe with the biggest V-8 engine that fits under the hood. And then, there’s the law that ultimately reflects the spirit of performance driving. To Pontiac’s speed czars, that interpretation says, provide outstanding fun at the right price using your lightest platform and a powertrain that offers V-8-style go, even if it’s a pumped-up V-6 in a front-drive platform. Let’s face facts, GM isn’t likely to build you a “goat” with tri-power, 389 cubes, and a posi rear axle for $20,000. As a possible alternative, however, Pontiac is trying to figure…

As any successful race team owner will tell you, a driver who can effectively communicate how a car really performs is indispensable. Mario Andretti, Rick Mears, and Mark Donohue—besides having atmospheres worth of talent—were all known for their ability to work with the team’s engineers, designers, and mechanics in search of the perfect race setup. Take a few laps, discuss, adjust the car. Run a few more, fiddle, now test again. All the real time telemetry in the world can’t replace a driver who can expertly feel a car’s every nuance. So it’s one thing when I tell you that Ferrari’s new Modena 360 is a riot on wheels (Aug. 799). But to get racebred feedback on what it’s really all about, why not round us up a guy who…

Unhampered by tradition or culture and driven by an aggressive, focused imagination, Mitsubishi has now unleashed the beast from within its Montero. Ever since the Montero nameplate debuted here in ’82, Mitsubishi’s SUV has looked strangely similar to the box in which it was delivered. But despite its stodgy styling, the Montero sometimes forged new ground with advanced drivetrain and chassis technology. It was as dependable as a 10-year-old bloodhound, yet hardly any more exciting. Late this spring, Mitsubishi will introduce its third-generation Montero, and, in terms of styling, it certainly will not be confused with any other sport/utility vehicle. At a time when many SUVs blend in with the crowd because they share styling cues with their high-selling pickup brothers, the Montero has no such loyalty. It was boxy…

When Goodyear announced the Eagle HP Ultra Plus would replace its well-liked Eagle GS-C, we wanted to find know where the newcomer fell on the outstanding scale. With the Eagle HP Ultra Plus, Goodyear didn’t seek to expand the performance envelope notably; that’s the job of its Eagle F1. Instead, the new tire was designed to approximate the performance of the Eagle GS-C but be longer wearing and, perhaps most significant, less expensive than its older sibling. If all it did was match the GS-C in performance, the Eagle HP Ultra Plus’ impressive 15-percent-lower manufacturer-recommended price earns it an “excellent” on our scorecard. The GS-C, introduced on the ’92 Chevrolet Corvette LT1, featured an asymmetrical and unidirectional tread pattern. The asymmetric construction was designed to offer superb dry grip, thanks…

Some lucky souls know how it is when one of the toughest decisions each morning is choosing which car to drive that day. Are you in the mood for, oh, the plush environment of your amply equipped luxury sedan or should you have the garage valet pull the Porsche around to the front? Can’t decide? Well, now there’s a surprisingly effective compromise in the form of the all-new Mercedes-Benz CL500. Boasting a higher-income “typical” buyer than even Mercedes’ prestigious S-Class, the $85,500 CL500 is arguably the pinnacle of the marque’s impressive lineup. In fact, Jurgen Hubbert, member of the Board of Management of DaimlerChrysler AG, called it, “The most sophisticated product with the three-pointed star.” And in addition to being solid, smooth, powerful, comfortable, safe, pampering, and all those other…

SUVs IN HELL! I’d like to say that you guys at MT have to be some of the luckiest SOBs on this planet. This week, you’re down in Death Valley with 120 degrees of grade-A desert heat and sudden flash floods with rain coming down so hard you might as well take off the windshield wipers and stick your head out of the window. Then you start traversing boulders in a Hummer as if they were pebbles of sand. What’s next, the Armed Forces M1 Abram tank in city traffic? I can’t wait to see that one! Next week, you’ll probably have to choose which car you want under your backside, while you’re turning laps around an oval track doing 170-plus. Lord, don’t let C. Van Tune get ahold of…

The doors don’t open. There are no windows or top. With only one seat, you can’t take any passengers along for a ride. And to make things worse, there’s no stereo. Knowing these things forces us to ask: What’s so great about the Mazda Miata Mono-Posto Concept roadster? If you’re a roadster lover, the answers are simple. For starters, you have to straddle the door to get behind the wheel as if you’re climbing into a race car. Major boy-racer feelings permeate your psyche. Cranking up the 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine brings forth a deep exhaust note. Bring up the revs, shift the six-speed transmission into first, plant the accelerator to the floor, and drop the clutch. The roaring turbocharged engine creates its own intoxicating music making the need for a…

I Was living the fantasy of every 40-something male. The BMW sports car’s top was down. The beautiful young blonde in the passenger seat was smiling at me. The sun had just dipped into the Pacific. The clear Southern California evening was turning cool, but the heater on full blast kept us snug as we cruised toward the park to play under the stars. I aggressively bent the BMW M Roadster into a corner and both the young lady and the Bimmer’s tires squealed. Long, blond hair floated around the cockpit, more from g-force than wind buffeting. I squeezed the throttle to the floor. The silky 3.2-liter DOHC inline six gave a lioness’ purr, and 240 horses ran free, using up all traction the wide rear Dunlops had to offer…

So “ego” makes us do it; we can handle that. (With no ego in the world, wouldn’t things be awfully drab?) That said, of all the cars in this test, the one I most want to write about is the S2000. But not why you might think. As a rule. I’m really not a fan of high-rpm horsepower at the expense of low-rpm torque, in anything short of an Indy car or F1 racer. I far prefer the instant tire-spinning gratification of a Corvette’s V-8 to the wait-for-it whoosh of something like the departed Mazda RX-7 Turbo. But I’ve driven a lot of Vettes. I haven’t driven a lot of S2000s. Frankly, I wanted to get back into one to determine what all the fuss is about. You already know…

Ferrari’s 360 Modena had yet to roll a wheel when racers began asking about a Challenge version. It’s here, it’s hot—and don’t dare call it a “boy racer.” The 360 Modena Challenge is constructed around the same formula as have been the previous 348 and F355 Challenge cars: a mildly modified, spec-series racer that stems from the street version, not a purebred race chassis—though the hardware has gotten a bit more purposeful with each generation. All 360 Modena Challenge cars will feature the F1 gearbox exclusively. Race trimmings include a 100-liter fuel cell, Perspex sliding side windows, even-beefier-than-stock Brembo brakes. Pirelli PZero racing slicks, gorgeous BBS wheels, hood pins, and other miscellaneous safety bits. The interior also gets the racer treatment. Cloth trim and carbon fiber inserts replace the standard…

“Friendly” isn’t a word I imagined anyone ever using to describe a Porsche 911 race car, especially a 410-horsepower veteran of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Calling “sweet” a car capable of blasting 0-100 mph in 7.2 seconds and cornering at a spine-deforming 2.18 g is like describing a grizzly as “cuddly.” Rather, I expected to employ words like “demanding,” “intolerant,” and, certainly, “intimidating”: There was a lump in my stomach and sweat on my palms before I got behind the wheel of Alex Job Racing’s American Le Mans Series championship-winning Porsche 911 GT83R. (Job and team owner Darryl Havens also had sweaty palms: The team had yet to clinch the title when I tested their irreplaceable $205,000 racer.) But almost immediately upon pulling out of the pits, it…

Even though the annual Specialty Equipment Marketing Association show is only open to automotive insiders, some of the year’s best vehicles and parts are debuted at the Las Vegas performance extravaganza. Because of this, we covered the 1.5 million square feet of displays to bring you the inside scoop. HOWLER CONCEPT Chrysler showed a very sharp concept called the Howler. This Prowler derivative has several advancements, including a lifting tonneau cover and tailgate that allow access to the rear cargo area. Replacing the wimpy V-6 and automatic tranny is the new 4.7-liter V-8 used in the Jeep Grand Cherokee, which pumps out 235 horsepower, backed by a five-speed manual transmission. No word on whether Chrysler plans to build the Howler or even if the Prowler will survive now Plymouth is…

THIS SHOCK WON’T HURT Monroe has enjoyed great success and product reviews on its Gas-Magnum RV shock absorber line. They’re designed and valved specifically for recreational vehicles and heavy-duty SUV use, employing Monroe’s proven nitrogen gas-charged technology. Gas-Magnum RVs feature twin-tube construction and hardened chrome piston rods. Available to fit most light- and medium-duty applications, plus many heavy-duty trucks and motorhomes. Find your local Monroe dealer at 877/232-3647; www.monroe.com. DEFENDER SVX Range Rover recently wowed the show crowd in Frankfurt, Germany, with this Defender SVX concept vehicle. It’s based on a standard Defender 90, but packs enlarged wheelwells, specially built 20-inch rolling stock, and very artistically done brushed metal trim and roll protection. Power comes from a souped-up five-cylinder inline turbodiesel that spools out 276 pound-feet of torque, a 25-percent…

rate to be offered in the States, is the mid-engine roadster that’s been making appearances around the globe at international auto shows as the countdown continues later this year. Painfully aware of the market shift in sports cars away from gizmo-laden, high-dollar sport coupes (collective sigh for the dearly departed Supra Turbo), Toyota has jealously watched the long-running success of the Mazda Miata and other, Euro-bred two-seaters. Now the Japanese giant is prepared to enter the fray with a hot, little convertible certain to impact the current sales champs. We recently had an opportunity to sample a Japanese-market Spyder at Toyota’s Mega Web auto-theme park in Tokyo, giving us a taste for the exciting arachnid. The 2210-pound MR2 Spyder shares the 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine with "genesis" -made Celica Mounted transversely…

Porsches aren't about simple transport. If you want that, go buy a Camry. Porsches are about fun. And Porsche’s Boxster S is an absolutely bewitching piece of road-going entertainment. Like some agile, delicately muscled gymnast confidently treading a balance beam, the Boxster S traces narrow two-lanes with quick-twitch muscle, precision, and rock-solid balance. We smiled. We laughed. And we would’ve applauded. But we have this rule about both hands on the wheel. But what’s an S? The S adds a central nose air intake feeding an extra radiator, red-painted brake calipers, bigger rotors, wheels and tires, a larger engine, a sixth gear, a convertible-top headliner, an alarm system, one more exhaust tip and one less steering-wheel spoke. All add immensely to the “basic” Boxster’s already high fun factor. And yet,…

The notion that only the domestic “Big Three” can build a proper full-size pickup has finally been eclipsed. In making good in on its longstanding promise to directly challenge U.S. producers of full-size V-8 pickups, Toyota has delivered an exceptional new offering: the 2000 Tundra. On sale since last June, this bold upstart has sent shockwaves through the industry—and handily rolled off with our Truck of the Year award, as well. Although first full-year sales volumes are projected only at about 100,000 units, its mere presence ensures that the Ford/Chevy/Dodge big-pickup game (total volume over 2 million units) will never be the same. Taking on these huge sellers (the Ford F-150 is perennially the largest-selling vehicle in America) required Toyota to marshal all its U.S.-based resources. That process yielded not…

Fact: Were it not for the Ferrari 333 SP. big bore sports car racing in this country would have died. IMSA’s GTP cars of the early 90s were blindingly fast, but the formula had grown just as blindingly expensive. Porsche, Jaguar, Nissan, and Toyota had all won—and were either gone, or leaving, by the end of the 93 season. So IMSA management proposed a new recipe, called World Sports Car (WSC): swoopy, open sports prototypes that revived a bit of the spirit of the old Can-Am. WSC promised tight racing, and costs that were palpable, at least when compared to the last of the GTPs. But none of the name brands stepped forward. Would people flock in droves to see Kudzus and Riley and Scotts? Enter Ferrari, the name with…

It just keeps on growing. There’s no question that the Specialty Equipment i Market Association’s annual trade gathering in Las Vegas is no longer just a place where wheel, camshaft, and manifold manufacturers show their wares. The SEMA show has also become a corporate springboard; this year, OEMs displayed a dizzying array of modified hardware and tunerized concept vehicles. And with 50 percent of today’s new-vehicle market consisting of trucks, sport/utilities—and mixtures of the two—it’s no surprise that more than half of the nearly 750 vehicles on display at SEMA came from those categories. Here’s a look at just a few. CHEVROLET BAJA CREW CAB CONCEPT GM has finally announced it will join the four-door, midsize pickup fray; you’ll have no trouble seeing what the production version will look like…

Riding the coattails of the seemingly unstoppable sport/utility craze, Lincoln made a bold move by adapting Ford’s successful full-size Expedition to the luxury division for ’98. In ’99, the Navigator pushed Lincoln annual sales beyond Cadillac for the first time in years, and the heated sales race inspired General Motors to hastily affix a crested-wreath badge to the premium GMC Yukon Denali. The formula for the Navigator’s popularity was to transform the mainstream Expedition into a high-end vehicle with prerequisite Lincoln attributes and a significant styling update. Package in the “Lincoln Commitment” four-year warranty, roadside assistance, and service loaner program, and the Navigator seemed poised for success. We ordered a four-wheel-drive Navigator to test the leather-lined behemoth for a year to get to know first-hand what the fuss was all…

Base price................ ................. *27,950 Price as tested........ ................. $28,405 Body style....................4-door, 5-pass. Engine size/type.... ...........3.2-liter V-6 Transmission........4-speed auto. Driveline config....... .......Front engine, front-wheel drive 0-60 mph, sec.......... ..........................7.4 EPA mpg, city/hwy........................19/27 Total mileage........... .......................7607 Test mileage............ .......................7540 Fuel consumed, gal....................363.9 Fuel cost...................................$510.41 Average mpg..................................20.0 Additional oil/cost....................... None Routine maint.............................$70.46 Additional maint...........................None Previous maint............................. None Problem areas............................ None Total operating cost................$580.87 Operating cost/mile......................7.7c ’99 ACURA TL Acura competes in the tough near-Tux sedan category with its high-value 3.2TL that’s loaded with more standard equipment than some competitors offer, at a truly great price. On our ’99 model, the $27,950 base price included 3.2-liter/225-horsepower V-6, independent suspension, four-wheel discs with ABS, traction control, keyless-entry theft-deterrent system, leather upholstery, and power everything. Bonus items such as Bose AM/FM/CD/cassette system, heated front seats, Xenon…